System for Announcing Predicted Remaining Amount of Energy

ABSTRACT

A system for generating information about predicted remaining amount of energy includes processing circuitry that obtains traveling state information which contains current vehicle position information, searches a predicted passage point through which the vehicle is predicted to pass in a future on a basis of the traveling state information when a vehicle traveling route is not set, predicts a predicted remaining amount of energy, the predicted remaining amount of energy being a predicted amount of traveling energy remaining at the time when the vehicle passes the predicted passage point and controls to provide information about the predicted remaining amount of energy and the predicted passage point corresponding to the predicted remaining amount of energy for a user.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/907,099, filed on Jan. 22, 2016, which is a 371 of PCT/JP2014/064858filed Jun. 4, 2014, which claims priority to Japanese Patent ApplicationNo. 2013-154300, filed on Jul. 25, 2013, all incorporated herein intheir entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a system for announcing a predictedremaining amount of energy used to announce the amount of travelingenergy of a vehicle in a future to a user.

BACKGROUND

In a navigation system boarded on a vehicle, an art is known that theamount of traveling energy necessary for the vehicle to reach adestination is calculated on the basis of information about a road on atraveling route set for the vehicle in advance (see Japanese PatentApplication Publication No. 2010-210271 A).

However, in the art disclosed in Japanese Application Publication No.2010-210271, what is calculated is only the amount of traveling energynecessary for the vehicle to reach the destination. For that reason,according to the art described in Japanese Application Publication No.2010-210271, a problem arises in that a user cannot know a predictedremaining amount of traveling energy while a user drives the vehicle.

SUMMARY

Problems to be solved by the present invention include providing asystem for announcing a predicted remaining amount of energy capable ofannouncing information about a predicted remaining amount of travelingenergy to a user while the user drives the vehicle.

The present invention solves the problem as below. On the basis of theinformation of a current vehicle position, a predicted passage pointthrough which the vehicle is predicted to pass is searched. On theassumption that the vehicle passes through the predicted passage point,a predicted amount of remaining energy at the time when the vehiclepasses through the predicted passage point is predicted as a predictedremaining amount of energy. The information about the predictedremaining amount of energy is announced to the user along with theinformation about the predicted passage point.

According to the present invention, it is possible to announce theinformation about the predicted remaining amount of energy at the pointthrough which the vehicle is predicted to pass to the user. For thatreason, the user can obtain the information about the predictedremaining amount of energy while the user drives the vehicle, and hencecan easily make a plan for the supplement of the traveling energy.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating a system for announcing apredicted remaining amount of energy according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method of displayingthe information of a predicted passage point and a predicted remainingbattery amount E_(bat) when a vehicle travels on an ordinary road;

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method of displayingthe information of a predicted passage point and a predicted remainingbattery amount E_(bat) when a vehicle travels on a highway;

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method of displayingthe information of a predicted passage point and a predicted remainingbattery amount E_(bat) when a vehicle traveling route is set;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method of announcingthe information of a predicted passage point and a predicted remainingbattery amount E_(bat) to a user by the system for announcing thepredicted remaining amount of energy of the present embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process forannouncing a predicted remaining amount of energy of the presentembodiment (in a case that a vehicle travels on an ordinary road);

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process forannouncing a predicted remaining amount of energy of the presentembodiment (in a case that a vehicle travels on a highway); and

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method of announcingthe information of a predicted passage point and a predicted remainingbattery amount E_(bat) to a user when a vehicle traveling route is setin advance by the system for announcing the predicted remaining amountof energy of the present embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be describedwith reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating a system for announcing apredicted remaining amount of energy according to the presentembodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the system for announcing thepredicted remaining amount of energy according to the present embodimentincludes an onboard device 100 which is boarded on a vehicle driven by abattery and an information center 200 provided outside the vehicle.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the onboard device 100 can exchangeinformation with the information center 200 via a communication betweenthe onboard device and the information center. The onboard device 100obtains real-time traffic information in each road by a radiocommunication with the information center 200. As the real-time trafficinformation, for example, the information of a real-time traveling speedof a vehicle other than an own vehicle traveling on each road can beexemplified. Further, the example illustrated in FIG. 1 is that theonboard device 100 communicates with one information center 200. In thepresent embodiment, the onboard device 100 may communicate with aplurality of the information centers 200.

The onboard device 100 is boarded on a vehicle driven by a battery. Theonboard device 100 displays the information of a predicted passage pointthrough which the vehicle is predicted (or expected) to pass in a futureon a display 140. Further, the onboard device 100 displays informationof a remaining battery amount obtained when the vehicle is predicted (orexpected) to pass through a predicted passage point as a predictedremaining battery amount E_(bat) on the display 140. As illustrated inFIG. 1, the onboard device 100 includes a control unit 110, acommunication unit 120, a GPS receiver 130, the display 140, and adatabase 150. The control unit 110, the communication unit 120, the GPSreceiver 130, the display 140, and the database 150 are connected to oneanother via a CAN (Controller Area Network) or other onboard LANs so asto exchange information.

The communication unit 120 transmits and receives information to andfrom a communication unit 220 provided in the information center 200 bya radio communication.

Specifically, the communication unit 120 receives real-time trafficinformation in each road by a radio communication from the communicationunit 220 provided in the information center 200. Here, as the real-timetraffic information to be received, for example, the real-time vehiclespeed information of a vehicle traveling on each road can beexemplified.

The database 150 stores own vehicle information, map information, andvehicle traffic information. As the own vehicle information, the weightof the vehicle, the size (the width, the height, and the length) of thevehicle, the air resistance coefficient (Cd value) of the vehicle, thedriving efficiency of the motor of the vehicle, and the powerconsumption efficiency of the onboard electrical component (the cooleror the air conditioner, the audio, etc.) can be exemplified. As the mapinformation, for example, map data containing the information of thedistance of each road, the slope of the road, and the road category(category such as an ordinary road or a highway) can be exemplified. Asthe vehicle traffic information, for example, statistical data of thespeed of the vehicle on each road can be exemplified. For example, suchstatistical data is created on the basis of data collected in each roadfor the real-time vehicle speed information transmitted from theinformation center 200 or data collected in each road for the vehiclespeed obtained when the own vehicle travels on each road.

The control unit 110 includes, for example, a ROM that stores a program,a CPU that executes the program stored in the ROM, and a RAM that servesas an accessible storage unit.

The control unit 110 searches a predicted passage point through whichthe vehicle is predicted (or expected) to pass in a future. Next, thecontrol unit 110 predicts (or estimates) the predicted remaining batteryamount E_(bat) at the time when the vehicle is predicted (or expected)to pass through a predicted passage point. Further, the control unit 110announces the information of the predicted remaining battery amountE_(bat) to the user along with the information of the predicted passagepoint.

The control unit 110 has the following functions in order to search thepredicted passage point and predicts (or estimates) the predictedremaining battery amount E_(bat) so that the information of the searchedpredicted passage point and the predicted remaining battery amountE_(bat) is announced to the user. Specifically, the control unit 110 hasa battery information obtaining function, a traveling state informationobtaining function, a predicted passage point searching function, apower consumption amount predicting (or estimating) function, aremaining energy amount predicting (or estimating) function, and adisplay function. The control unit 110 can execute the above-describedfunctions by the cooperation of software and hardware for realizing theabove-described functions.

Hereinafter, the functions realized by the control unit 110 will bedescribed.

The battery information obtaining function of the control unit 110 is afunction of obtaining the information of the battery provided in thevehicle by the use of sensors provided in the vehicle through a CAN oronboard LANs. The information of the battery obtained by the remainingbattery amount obtaining function contains the information of thecurrent remaining battery amount. Further, the information of thebattery obtained by the remaining battery amount obtaining function maycontain the information of the current degradation degree of theresistance value of the battery.

The traveling state information obtaining function of the control unit110 is a function of obtaining the information of the current vehicleposition, the current vehicle traveling direction, and the currentvehicle traveling road category as the traveling state information.Here, current vehicle position information can be obtained, for example,by receiving radio waves transmitted from a positioning satellite by theGPS receiver 130. Further, the current vehicle traveling directioninformation can be obtained, for example, by specifying the direction ofthe vehicle on the basis of the current vehicle position informationdetected every predetermined time. The information of the road category(category such as an ordinary road or a highway) on which the vehiclecurrently travels can be obtained, for example, by specifying the roadon which the vehicle currently travels on the basis of the currentvehicle position information detected every predetermined time.Alternatively, the road category information on which the vehiclecurrently travels can be obtained by detecting the vehicle speed on thebasis of the current vehicle position information detected everypredetermined time and specifying the ordinary road or the highway onwhich the vehicle travels.

The predicted passage point searching function of the control unit 110is a function of searching the predicted passage point through which thevehicle is predicted (or expected) to pass in a future on the basis ofthe traveling state information.

In the present embodiment, when the vehicle traveling route is not set,the predicted passage point is searched, for example, as below. First,the control unit 110 determines whether the road on which the vehiclecurrently travels is the ordinary road or the highway on the basis ofthe traveling state information. Then, when it is determined that theroad on which the vehicle currently travels is the ordinary road, thecontrol unit 110 searches a main crossroad located at the front side ofthe road in the vehicle traveling direction as the predicted passagepoint through which the vehicle is predicted (or expected) to pass in afuture.

Here, FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of displaying theinformation of the predicted passage point on the display 140 when theroad on which the vehicle currently travels is an ordinary road.Further, in the map of FIG. 2, the ordinary road is indicated by a thinline, and the highway is indicated by a thick line. Further, in the mapof FIG. 2, a triangular icon on the map indicates current position ofthe own vehicle, and the direction of the vertex of the triangular iconindicates traveling direction of the own vehicle.

In the present embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 2, when the road onwhich the vehicle currently travels is the ordinary road, a maincrossroad (a crossroad A, a crossroad B, and a crossroad C) existing atthe front side of the road in the vehicle traveling direction issearched as the predicted passage point. As the main crossroad searchedas the predicted passage point, for example, a crossroad with a nationalroad on the road on which the vehicle currently travels or a crossroadwith a road having a predetermined number or more of lanes (for example,a road having four or more lanes) can be exemplified.

The power consumption amount predicting (or estimating) function of thecontrol unit 110 is a function of predicting (or estimating) the amountof power necessary for the vehicle to travel from the current positionto the predicted passage point as the predicted power consumptionamount. Specifically, the control unit 110 reads out the own vehicleinformation and statistical data of the distance, the slope, and thevehicle speed from the current vehicle position to the predicted passagepoint on the road from the information stored in the database 150, andpredicts (or estimates) the predicted power consumption amount on thebasis of the read information.

For example, in the scene illustrated in FIG. 2, the control unit 110first reads out the own vehicle information and statistical data of thedistance, the slope, and the vehicle speed from the current vehicleposition to the crossroad A on the road from the information stored inthe database 150, and predicts (or estimates) the predicted powerconsumption amount from the current vehicle position to the crossroad Aon the basis of the read information. Then, the control unit 110similarly predicts (or estimates) the predicted power consumption amountfrom the current vehicle position to the crossroad B and the predictedpower consumption amount from the current vehicle position to thecrossroad C.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the predicted power consumptionamount may be predicted (or estimated) in consideration of the trafficjam information and the information of weather and external airtemperature. Here, the control unit 110 can obtain the traffic jaminformation and the information of weather and external air temperatureby, for example, the communication unit 120 via the information center200 or the Internet. Alternatively, the traffic jam information and theinformation of weather and external air temperature may be obtained by asensor provided in the vehicle immediately before the control unit 110predicts (or estimates) the predicted power consumption amount.

Alternatively, in the present embodiment, the control unit 110 maypredict (or estimate) the predicted power consumption amount inconsideration of the battery capacity reduction state (that is, thebattery capacity reduction amount per unit time) immediately before theprediction (or estimation) of the predicted power consumption amount.

The remaining energy amount predicting (or estimating) function of thecontrol unit 110 is a function of predicting (or estimating) thepredicted value of the remaining battery amount at the time when thevehicle passes through the predicted passage point on the assumptionthat the vehicle passes through the predicted passage point as thepredicted remaining battery amount E_(bat). Specifically, the controlunit 110 obtains the predicted remaining battery amount E_(bat) in amanner such that the predicted power consumption amount predicted (orestimated) by the power consumption amount predicting (or estimating)function is subtracted from the current remaining battery amountobtained in the battery information obtaining function.

An example of the scene illustrated in FIG. 2 will be described. In thescene illustrated in FIG. 2, the control unit 110 predicts (orestimates) the predicted power consumption amount from the currentvehicle position to the crossroad A by the power consumption amountpredicting (or estimating) function. For that reason, the control unit110 can obtain the predicted remaining battery amount E_(bat) _(_) _(A)at the crossroad A in a manner such that the predicted power consumptionamount from the current vehicle position to the crossroad A issubtracted from the current remaining battery amount obtained by thebattery information obtaining function. Then, the control unit 110similarly predicts (or estimates) the predicted remaining battery amountE_(bat) _(_) _(B) at the crossroad B and the predicted remaining batteryamount E_(bat) _(_) _(C) at the crossroad C.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the control unit 110 may predict(or estimate) the predicted remaining battery amount E_(bat) inconsideration of the information of the current degradation degree ofthe resistance value of the battery. At this time, the control unit 110obtains the information of the current degradation degree of theresistance value of the battery in addition to the information of thecurrent remaining battery amount by the battery information obtainingfunction. Then, the control unit 110 predicts (or estimates) thepredicted remaining battery amount E_(bat) on the basis of the predictedpower consumption amount and the information of the remaining batteryamount and the degradation degree of the resistance value thus obtained.

The display function of the control unit 110 is a function of announcingthe information of the predicted passage point and the predictedremaining battery amount E_(bat) to the user in a manner such that theinformation of the predicted remaining battery amount E_(bat) isdisplayed on the display 140 along with the information of thecorresponding predicted passage point.

In the present embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the control unit110 displays a map on the right side of the screen of the display 140,and displays the information of the crossroad A, the crossroad B, andthe crossroad C as the predicted passage points (for example, theinformation of the road name, the crossroad name, and the distance fromthe current vehicle position) on the left side of the screen. Then, asillustrated in FIG. 2, the control unit 110 displays the information ofthe predicted remaining battery amount E_(bat) on the display 140 alongwith the information of the predicted passage point by the battery icon.Here, the battery icon in FIG. 2 indicates a state in which thepredicted remaining battery amount E_(bat) increases in accordance withan increase in the size of the white portion inside the battery, andhence the user can visually recognize whether the predicted remainingbattery amount E_(bat) is large or small.

In the present embodiment, the information of the crossroad A, theinformation of the corresponding predicted remaining battery amountE_(bat) _(_) _(A), the information of the crossroad B, the informationof the corresponding predicted remaining battery amount E_(bat) _(_)_(B), the information of the crossroad C, and the information of thecorresponding predicted remaining battery amount E_(bat) _(_) _(C) aredisplayed on the display 140. Accordingly, the information of thepredicted passage point and the predicted remaining battery amountE_(bat) is appropriately announced to the user.

For that reason, according to the present embodiment, even when thevehicle traveling route is not set, the main crossroad through which thevehicle is expected to pass in a future is searched as the predictedpassage point, and the information of the predicted remaining batteryamount E_(bat) at the predicted passage point is announced to the useralong with the information of the corresponding predicted passage point.For that reason, the user can easily make a plan for charging thebattery while referring to the information of the predicted remainingbattery amount E_(bat) at such a main crossroad.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example in which the control unit 110 displays themap on the right side of the screen of the display 140 and displays theinformation of the predicted passage point and the predicted remainingbattery amount E_(bat) on the left side of the screen. However, in thepresent embodiment, the display on the display 140 is not limited tosuch an example. For example, the control unit 110 may display theinformation of the predicted passage point and the predicted remainingbattery amount E_(bat) on the map in a superimposed state.

Further, when the control unit 110 displays the information of thepredicted passage point and the predicted remaining battery amountE_(bat), it is desirable that the information of the predicted passagepoint be displayed in a shape allowing the position of the predictedpassage point to be recognized and the information of the predictedremaining battery amount E_(bat) be displayed so as to correspond to theinformation of the predicted passage point. For example, in FIG. 2, thecontrol unit 110 can display the information of the predicted passagepoint in a shape allowing the position of the predicted passage point tobe recognized in a manner such that the information of the crossroad Aand the line connecting the position of the crossroad A on the map aredisplayed on the display 140. Further, as illustrated in FIG. 2, thecontrol unit 110 can display the information of the predicted remainingbattery amount E_(bat) so as to correspond to the information of thepredicted passage point in a manner such that the battery iconindicating the information of the predicted remaining battery amountE_(bat) is displayed in the periphery of the information of thepredicted passage point. Accordingly, the user can intuitively recognizethe information of the predicted passage point and the predictedremaining battery amount E_(bat), and hence the information of thepredicted passage point and the predicted remaining battery amountE_(bat) is more efficiently announced.

Further, in the present embodiment, when the control unit 110 displaysthe information of the predicted passage point and the predictedremaining battery amount E_(bat) on the display 140, the information ofthe charging facility existing within a predetermined distance from thepredicted passage point may be also displayed. For example, the controlunit 110 can obtain the information of the charging facility by thecommunication unit 120 via the information center 200 or the Internet,search the charging facility existing within a predetermined distancefrom the predicted passage point on the basis of the obtainedinformation, and display the information of the charging facility by amethod of disposing an icon indicating the charging facility at aposition on which the searched charging facility exists on the map ofthe display 140. The predetermined distance is not particularly limited,and may be set to, for example, about 1 to 10 km. Accordingly, the usercan recognize the information of the charging facility in the peripheryof the predicted passage point in addition to the information of thepredicted passage point and the predicted remaining battery amountE_(bat), and hence more easily make a plan for charging the battery.

Further, when the control unit 110 displays the information of thecharging facility on the display 140, the specific information of theselected charging facility may be displayed in a manner such that theonboard device 100 is operated to select the charging facility from thedisplay on the display 140 by the user. As the specific information ofthe displayed charging facility, for example, the traveling guidanceinformation such as the distance or the elapse time from the currentvehicle position to the selected charging facility, the information suchas the operating hours or the current operating state of the chargingfacility, and the facility information such as the charger type or thenumber of charging ports can be exemplified.

Further, when the control unit 110 displays the information of thecharging facility on the display 140, only the charging facility usableat the predicted passage time in which the vehicle passes through thepredicted passage point may be displayed among the charging facilitiesexisting within a predetermined distance from the predicted passagepoint. That is, the control unit 110 predicts (or estimates) thepredicted passage time in advance on the assumption that the vehiclepasses through the predicted passage point. Subsequently, the controlunit 110 may search the charging facility existing within apredetermined distance from the predicted passage point and usable atthe predicted passage time and display only the searched chargingfacility on the display 140. Here, as the usable charging facility, forexample, the charging facility operated at the predicted passage timecan be exemplified. Accordingly, the user can recognize the informationof the charging facility which is likely usable when the vehicle reachesthe predicted passage point in addition to the information of thepredicted passage point and the predicted remaining battery amountE_(bat), and hence reliably make a plan for charging the battery.

Next, the information center 200 illustrated in FIG. 1 will bedescribed. The information center 200 is a server which transmits thereal-time vehicle speed information of the vehicle traveling on eachroad as the traffic information to the onboard device 100. Asillustrated in FIG. 1, the information center 200 includes a controlunit 210 and the communication unit 220.

The communication unit 220 is a unit which transmits and receivesinformation to and from the communication unit 120 provided in theonboard device 100 by a radio communication. Specifically, thecommunication unit 220 receives the real-time vehicle speed informationobtained for each road by the control unit 210. Then, the communicationunit 220 transmits the received information to the communication unit120 provided in the onboard device 100 by the instruction of the controlunit 210.

The control unit 210 includes, for example, a ROM which stores aprogram, a CPU which executes the program stored in the ROM, and a RAMwhich serves as an accessible storage unit.

The control unit 210 obtains the real-time vehicle speed information ofthe currently traveling vehicle for each road and transmits the obtainedvehicle speed information to the communication unit 120 provided in theonboard device 100 via the communication unit 220. The method in whichthe control unit 210 obtains the real-time vehicle speed information isnot particularly limited. For example, a method of receiving thereal-time vehicle speed information from the onboard device 100 or amethod of collecting the vehicle speed information obtained by a sensorprovided in each road through a radio communication can be exemplified.

Further, the control unit 210 may transmit the information (the trafficjam information, the information of weather and external airtemperature, the charging facility information, and so on) obtained viathe internet to the communication unit 120 provided in the onboarddevice 100 via the communication unit 220 in addition to the real-timevehicle speed information.

In the present embodiment, information of the predicted passage pointand the predicted remaining battery amount E_(bat) is announced to theuser as described above.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of searching the predicted passage pointand predicting (or estimating) the predicted remaining battery amountE_(bat) when the vehicle travels on the ordinary road. In the presentembodiment, even when the vehicle travels on the highway, similarly thepredicted passage point is searched and the predicted remaining batteryamount E_(bat) is predicted (or estimated).

Specifically, when the vehicle travels on the highway, the control unit110 searches the predicted passage point as below by the predictedpassage point searching function. First, the control unit 110 determineswhether the road on which the vehicle currently travels is the ordinaryroad or the highway on the basis of the traveling state informationobtained by the traveling state information obtaining function. Then,when it is determined that the road on which the vehicle currentlytravels is the highway, the control unit 110 searches an interchange(IC), a service area (SA), and a parking area (PA) (i.e. a rest area)located at the front side of the highway in the vehicle travelingdirection as the predicted passage points.

Here, FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of displaying theinformation of the predicted passage point on the display 140 when theroad on which the vehicle currently travels is the highway. Asillustrated in FIG. 3, when the road on which the vehicle currentlytravels is the highway, the control unit 110 searches points αIC, βSA,and γIC located at the front side of the road in the vehicle travelingdirection as the predicted passage points.

Further, the control unit 110 predicts (or estimates) the amount ofpower necessary for the vehicle to travel from the current position tothe predicted passage point as the predicted power consumption amount bythe power consumption amount predicting (or estimating) function. Forexample, in the scene illustrated in FIG. 3, the control unit 110 firstreads out the own vehicle information and statistical data of thedistance, the slope, and the vehicle speed on the road from the currentvehicle position to the point αIC from the information stored in thedatabase 150. Then, the control unit 110 predicts (or estimates) thepredicted power consumption amount from the current vehicle position tothe point αIC on the basis of the read information. Then, the controlunit 110 similarly predicts (or estimates) the predicted powerconsumption amount from the current vehicle position to the point βSAand the predicted power consumption amount from the current vehicleposition to the point γIC.

Next, the control unit 110 predicts (or estimates) the predictedremaining battery amount E_(bat) when the vehicle passes through thepredicted passage point by the remaining energy amount predicting (orestimating) function on the assumption that the vehicle passes throughthe predicted passage point. For example, in the scene illustrated inFIG. 3, since the predicted power consumption amount from the currentvehicle position to the point αIC is predicted (or estimated), thecontrol unit 110 can obtain the predicted remaining battery amountE_(bat) _(_) _(α) at the point αIC in a manner such that the predictedpower consumption amount is subtracted from the current remainingbattery amount obtained by the battery information obtaining function.Then, the control unit 110 similarly predicts (or estimates) thepredicted remaining battery amount E_(bat) _(_) _(β) at the point βSAand the predicted remaining battery amount E_(bat) _(_) _(γ) at thepoint γIC.

In the present embodiment, the control unit 110 searches the predictedpassage point and predicts (or estimates) the predicted remainingbattery amount E_(bat) when the vehicle travels on the highway asdescribed above. Then, the information of the searched predicted passagepoint and the information of the predicted (or estimated) predictedremaining battery amount E_(bat) are displayed on the display 140 by thedisplay function of the control unit 110, for example, as illustrated inFIG. 3 so as to be announced to the user.

Accordingly, even when the vehicle traveling route is not set, thecontrol unit 110 can search the service area (SA), the parking area(PA), or the interchange (IC) through which the vehicle is expected topass in a future as the predicted passage point. Then, the control unit110 announces the information of the predicted remaining battery amountE_(bat) to the user along with the information of the correspondingpredicted passage point. For that reason, the user can easily make aplan for charging the battery while referring to the information of thepredicted remaining battery amount E_(bat) at the main point such as SA,PA, or IC.

FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate an example of searching the predicted passagepoint and predicting (or estimating) the predicted remaining batteryamount E_(bat) when the vehicle traveling route is not set. However, inthe present embodiment, the control unit 110 can similarly search thepredicted passage point and predict (or estimate) the predictedremaining battery amount E_(bat) even when the vehicle traveling routeis set in advance.

Specifically, when the vehicle traveling route is set in advance, thecontrol unit 110 searches the predicted passage point as below by thepredicted passage point searching function. First, the control unit 110specifies a section in the ordinary road and a section in the highway onthe vehicle traveling route. Then, the control unit 110 searches themain crossroad as the predicted passage point in the section of theordinary road on the traveling route and searches the point such as SA,PA, or IC as the predicted passage point in the section of the highwayon the traveling route.

Here, FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of displaying theinformation of the predicted passage point on the display 140 when thevehicle traveling route is set in advance. In FIG. 4, the travelingroute set for the vehicle is indicated by a white bold line. In theexample illustrated in FIG. 4, the control unit 110 searches thecrossroad A as the predicted passage point in the section of theordinary road on the traveling route (that is, the section from thecurrent vehicle position to the point αIC and the section after thepoint γIC in FIG. 4) and searches the points αIC, βSA, and γIC as thepredicted passage points in the section of the highway on the travelingroute (that is, the section from the point αIC to the point γIC in FIG.4).

Further, the control unit 110 predicts (or estimates) the predictedpower consumption amount from the current vehicle position to eachpredicted passage point by the power consumption amount predicting (orestimating) function. For example, in the scene illustrated in FIG. 4,the control unit 110 predicts (or estimates) the predicted powerconsumption amount from the current vehicle position as the startingpoint to the crossroad A, the predicted power consumption amount fromthe current vehicle position to the point αIC, the predicted powerconsumption amount from the current vehicle position to the point βSA,and the predicted power consumption amount from the current vehicleposition to the point γIC by the above-described method.

Next, the control unit 110 predicts (or estimates) the predictedremaining battery amount E_(bat) at each predicted passage point by theremaining energy amount predicting (or estimating) function. Forexample, in the scene illustrated in FIG. 4, the control unit 110predicts (or estimates) the predicted remaining battery amount E_(bat)_(_) _(A) at the crossroad A, the predicted remaining battery amountE_(bat) _(_) _(α) at the point αIC, the predicted remaining batteryamount E_(bat) _(_) _(β) at the point βSA, and the predicted remainingbattery amount E_(bat) _(_) _(γ) at the point γIC by the above-describedmethod.

As described above, the control unit 110 searches the predicted passagepoint and predicts (or estimates) the predicted remaining battery amountE_(bat) on the assumption that the vehicle traveling route is set inadvance. Then, the information of the predicted passage point and theinformation of the predicted remaining battery amount E_(bat) aredisplayed on the display 140, for example, as illustrated in FIG. 4 bythe display function of the control unit 110 so as to be announced tothe user.

In the present embodiment, when the vehicle traveling route is set inadvance, the control unit 110 searches the appropriate predicted passagepoint in the set traveling route according to the road category of theset traveling route and announces the information of the predictedpassage point and the information of the predicted remaining batteryamount E_(bat) at the predicted passage point to the user. Accordingly,the user can easily make a plan for charging the battery on thetraveling route.

Next, the operation example of the present embodiment will be described.FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method of announcingthe information of the predicted passage point and the predictedremaining battery amount E_(bat) to the user by the system forannouncing the predicted remaining amount of energy of the presentembodiment when the vehicle traveling route is not set for the vehicle.

First, in step S1, the control unit 110 obtains the information of thecurrent vehicle position, the current vehicle traveling direction, andthe current vehicle traveling road category as the traveling stateinformation by the traveling state information obtaining function.

In step S2, the control unit 110 determines whether the road on whichthe vehicle currently travels is the ordinary road on the basis of thetraveling state information obtained in step S1. Then, in step S2, whenit is determined that the road on which the vehicle currently travels isthe ordinary road, the routine proceeds to step S3. Meanwhile, in stepS2, when it is determined that the road on which the vehicle currentlytravels is not the ordinary road, the routine proceeds to step S4.

In step S2, when it is determined that the road on which the vehiclecurrently travels is the ordinary road, the routine proceeds to step S3.In step S3, the control unit 110 searches the predicted passage pointand predicts (or estimates) the predicted remaining battery amountE_(bat) by the process for announcing the predicted remaining amount ofenergy (in the ordinary road) so as to display the information of thepredicted passage point and the predicted remaining battery amountE_(bat) on the display 140. Here, FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating anexample of a process for announcing the predicted remaining amount ofenergy (in the ordinary road). Hereinafter, the process for announcingthe predicted remaining amount of energy (in the ordinary road) will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 6.

First, in step S301 illustrated in FIG. 6, the control unit 110 obtainsthe current vehicle position information from the traveling stateinformation obtained in step S1.

In step S302, the control unit 110 obtains the current vehicle travelingdirection information from the traveling state information obtained instep S1.

In step S303, the control unit 110 specifies the main crossroad as theobject for predicting (or estimating) the predicted power consumptionamount on the basis of the information of the current vehicle positionand the current vehicle traveling direction obtained in step S301 andstep S302 by the predicted passage point searching function.Specifically, the control unit 110 specifies the nearest main crossroad(for example, a crossroad with a national road or a crossroad with aroad having a predetermined number of lanes) existing at the front sideof the current vehicle traveling direction on the basis of the currentvehicle position as the starting point on the ordinary road on which thevehicle currently travels with reference to the map information storedin the database 150.

In step S304, the control unit 110 predicts (or estimates) the amount ofpower necessary for the vehicle from the current position to the maincrossroad specified in step S303 as the predicted power consumptionamount by the power consumption amount predicting (or estimating)function. Specifically, the control unit 110 reads out the own vehicleinformation and statistical data of the distance, the slope, and thevehicle speed from the current vehicle position to the predicted passagepoint on the road from the information stored in the database 150 andpredicts (or estimates) the predicted power consumption amount on thebasis of the read information.

In step S305, the control unit 110 predicts (or estimates) the remainingbattery amount when the vehicle passes through the main crossroad on theassumption that the vehicle passes through the main crossroad as thepredicted remaining battery amount E_(bat). Specifically, first, thecontrol unit 110 obtains the current vehicle remaining battery amount bythe battery information obtaining function. Next, the control unit 110obtains the remaining battery amount when the vehicle passes through thepredicted passage point as the predicted remaining battery amountE_(bat) in a manner such that the predicted power consumption amountpredicted (or estimated) in step S304 is subtracted from the currentremaining battery amount by the remaining energy amount predicting (orestimating) function.

In step S306, the control unit 110 displays the information of thepredicted remaining battery amount E_(bat) predicted (or estimated) instep S305 on the display 140 along with the information of the maincrossroad specified in step S303 by the display function.

In step S307, the control unit 110 determines whether the predictedremaining battery amount E_(bat) predicted (or estimated) in step S305is smaller than the predetermined threshold E₁. As will be describedbelow, the predetermined threshold E₁ is a threshold for determiningwhether to specify a main crossroad far from the current vehicleposition (that is, a main crossroad having a small predicted remainingbattery amount E_(bat)) in the process for announcing the predictedremaining amount of energy (in the ordinary road). The predeterminedthreshold E₁ is not particularly limited, but for example, a value ofabout 5 to 20% of the full charge capacity of the battery provided inthe vehicle can be exemplified. Then, in step S307, when it isdetermined that the predicted remaining battery amount E_(bat) issmaller than the predetermined threshold E₁, the process for announcingthe predicted remaining amount of energy (in the ordinary road) ends.Subsequently, the routine returns to the flowchart illustrated in FIG.5, and the process ends. Meanwhile, in step S307, when it is determinedthat the predicted remaining battery amount E_(bat) is equal to orlarger than the predetermined threshold E₁, the routine returns to stepS303. At this time, in step S303, the control unit 110 specifies thenext main crossroad existing at the front side of the current vehicletraveling direction from the given main crossroad as the starting pointin the ordinary road on which the vehicle currently travels withreference to the map information stored in the database 150.Subsequently, the above-described processes of step S304 to step S307are performed on the basis of the main crossroad newly searched in stepS303.

Meanwhile, when it is determined that the road on which the vehiclecurrently travels is not the ordinary road in step S2 illustrated inFIG. 5, the routine proceeds to step S4. In step S4, the control unit110 searches the predicted passage point and predicts (or estimates) thepredicted remaining battery amount E_(bat) by the process for announcingthe predicted remaining amount of energy (in the highway) so as todisplay the information of the predicted passage point and the predictedremaining battery amount E_(bat) on the display 140. Here, FIG. 7 is aflowchart illustrating an example of a process for announcing thepredicted remaining amount of energy (in the highway). Hereinafter, theprocess for announcing the predicted remaining amount of energy (in thehighway) will be described with reference to FIG. 7.

First, in step S401 and step S402 illustrated in FIG. 7, the controlunit 110 obtains the information of the current vehicle position and thecurrent vehicle traveling direction similarly to step S301 and stepS302.

In step S403, the control unit 110 specifies the point IC, SA, or PA asthe object for predicting (or estimating) the predicted powerconsumption amount on the basis of the information of the currentvehicle position and the current vehicle traveling direction obtained instep S401 and step S402 by the predicted passage point searchingfunction. Specifically, the control unit 110 specifies the nearest pointIC, SA, or PA existing at the front side in the current vehicletraveling direction from the current vehicle position as the startingpoint in the highway on which the vehicle currently travels withreference to the map information stored in the database 150.

In step S404, similarly to step S304, the control unit 110 predicts (orestimates) the amount of power necessary for the vehicle to travel fromthe current position to the point IC, SA, or PA specified in step S403as the predicted power consumption amount by the power consumptionamount predicting (or estimating) function.

In step S405, similarly to step S305, the control unit 110 predicts (orestimates) the remaining battery amount when the vehicle passes throughthe point IC, SA, or PA on the assumption that the vehicle passesthrough the point IC, SA, or PA specified in step S403 as the predictedremaining battery amount E_(bat).

In step S406, the control unit 110 displays the information of thepredicted remaining battery amount E_(bat) predicted (or estimated) instep S405 on the display 140 along with the information of the point IC,SA, or PA specified in step S403 by the display function.

In step S407, the control unit 110 determines whether the point IC, SA,or PA specified in step S403 is the nearest facility from the end of thehighway. Here, as the nearest facility from the end of the highway, thepoint IC, SA, or PA located at a nearest position from the gateway (thenode between the highway and the ordinary road or the node between thehighways) provided at the end of the highway can be exemplified. Then,in step S407, when it is determined that the point IC, SA, or PAspecified in step S403 is the nearest facility from the end of thehighway, the process for announcing the predicted remaining amount ofenergy (in the highway) ends. Subsequently, the routine returns to theflowchart illustrated in FIG. 5, and the process ends. Meanwhile, instep S407, when it is determined that the point IC, SA, or PA specifiedin step S403 is not the nearest facility existing from the end of thehighway, the routine proceeds to step S408.

In step S408, the control unit 110 determines whether the predictedremaining battery amount E_(bat) predicted (or estimated) in step S405is smaller than the predetermined threshold E₂. Further, thepredetermined threshold E₂ may be the same as the threshold E₁ or may bea different threshold. Then, in step S408, when it is determined thatthe predicted remaining battery amount E_(bat) is smaller than thepredetermined threshold E₂, the process for announcing the predictedremaining amount of energy (in the highway) ends. Subsequently, theroutine returns to the flowchart illustrated in FIG. 5, and the processends. Meanwhile, in step S408, when it is determined that the predictedremaining battery amount E_(bat) is equal to or larger than thepredetermined threshold E₂, the routine returns to step S403. At thistime, in step S403, the control unit 110 specifies the next point IC,SA, or PA as the starting point which are existing at the front side inthe current vehicle traveling direction from the given point IC, SA, orPA in the highway on which the vehicle currently travels with referenceto the map information stored in the database 150. Subsequently, theprocesses of step S404 to step S408 are performed on the basis of thepoint IC, SA, or PA newly searched in step S403.

As described above, the control unit 110 predicts (or estimates) thepredicted remaining battery amount E_(bat) at the predicted passagepoint after the predicted passage point of the main crossroad or thepoint IC, SA, or PA is searched. Then, the control unit 110 announcesthe information of the searched predicted passage point and thepredicted (or estimated) predicted remaining battery amount E_(bat) tothe user. Accordingly, since the information of the predicted remainingbattery amount E_(bat) at the predicted passage point through which thevehicle is expected to pass is announced to the user, the user canobtain the information of the predicted remaining battery amount E_(bat)while the user drives the vehicle and hence easily make a plan forcharging the battery.

Further, the control unit 110 announces the information of the predictedpassage point and the predicted remaining battery amount E_(bat) to theuser in a manner such that the information is displayed on the display140. Accordingly, the user can intuitively recognize the information ofthe predicted passage point and the predicted remaining battery amountE_(bat). For that reason, the information of the predicted passage pointand the predicted remaining battery amount E_(bat) is more efficientlyannounced to the user.

Next, a different operation example of the present embodiment will bedescribed.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method of announcingthe information of the predicted passage point and the predictedremaining battery amount E_(bat) to the user by the system forannouncing the predicted remaining amount of energy of the presentembodiment when the vehicle traveling route is set in advance.

First, in step S501 illustrated in FIG. 8, the control unit 110 obtainsthe traveling state information containing the current vehicle positioninformation by the traveling state information obtaining function.

In step S502, the control unit 110 obtains the information of thetraveling route set for the vehicle. For example, in the presentembodiment, a configuration in which the user sets the vehicle travelingroute by the operation of the onboard device 100 and the set travelingroute is stored in a memory provided in the control unit 110 may beused. At this time, the control unit 110 reads out the informationstored in such a memory so as to obtain the information of the travelingroute.

In step S503, the control unit 110 searches the predicted passage pointfor predicting (or estimating) the predicted power consumption amountfrom the traveling route on the basis of the information of thetraveling route obtained in step S502 by the predicted passage pointsearching function. Specifically, the control unit 110 first specifiesthe section in the ordinary road and the section in the highway on thetraveling route obtained in step S502. Then, the control unit 110searches the main crossroad from the section in the ordinary road on thetraveling route and searches the point IC, SA, or PA from the section inthe highway on the traveling route. Then, the control unit 110 specifiesthe predicted passage point closest to the current vehicle positionamong the searched main crossroad and the points IC, SA, and PA.

In step S504, similarly to step S304, the control unit 110 predicts (orestimates) the amount of power necessary for the vehicle to travel fromthe current position to the predicted passage point specified in stepS503 as the predicted power consumption amount by the power consumptionamount predicting (or estimating) function.

In step S505, similarly to step S305, the control unit 110 predicts (orestimates) the remaining battery amount when the vehicle passes throughthe predicted passage point on the assumption that the vehicle passesthrough the predicted passage point as the predicted remaining batteryamount E_(bat).

In step S506, the control unit 110 displays the information of thepredicted remaining battery amount E_(bat) predicted (or estimated) instep S505 on the display 140 along with the information of the predictedpassage point specified in step S503 by the display function.

In step S507, the control unit 110 determines whether the predictedremaining battery amount E_(bat) predicted (or estimated) in step S505is smaller than the predetermined threshold E₃. In addition, thepredetermined threshold E₃ may be the same as the threshold E₁ or thethreshold E₂ or may be a different threshold. Then, in step S507, whenit is determined that the predicted remaining battery amount E_(bat) issmaller than the predetermined threshold E₃, the process ends.Meanwhile, in step S507, when it is determined that the predictedremaining battery amount E_(bat) is equal to or larger than thepredetermined threshold E₃, the routine returns to step S503. At thistime, in step S503, the control unit 110 specifies the next maincrossroad or the point IC, SA, or PA as the predicted passage pointexisting at the front side of the current vehicle traveling directionfrom the given predicted passage point on the traveling route on thebasis of the information of the traveling route obtained in step S502.Subsequently, the processes of step S504 to step S507 are performed onthe basis of the predicted passage point newly searched in step S503.

As described above, the control unit 110 searches the predicted passagepoint according to each of the section in the ordinary road and thesection in the highway after the section in the ordinary road and thesection in the highway are specified on the traveling route. Further,the control unit 110 predicts (or estimates) the predicted remainingbattery amount E_(bat) at the predicted passage point and announces theinformation of the searched predicted passage point and the predicted(or estimated) predicted remaining battery amount E_(bat) to the user.Therefore, even when the vehicle traveling route is set in advance, theappropriate predicted passage point is searched according to the roadcategory on the set traveling route. For that reason, since theinformation of the predicted passage point and the information of thepredicted remaining battery amount E_(bat) at the predicted passagepoint are announced to the user, the user can easily make a plan forcharging the battery on the traveling route.

Embodiments of the present invention have been heretofore explained, butthese embodiments are described to facilitate understanding of thepresent invention and are not described to limit the present invention.Therefore, it is intended that the elements disclosed in the aboveembodiments include all design changes and equivalents to fall withinthe technical scope of the present invention.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which thecontrol unit 110 searches the predicted passage point from the road (theordinary road or the highway) on which the vehicle currently travels isdescribed. However, the control unit 110 may search the predictedpassage point from the road on which the vehicle currently travels aswell as a different road connected to the road. For example, the controlunit 110 may set a predetermined area in the current vehicle travelingdirection from the current vehicle position as the starting point on thebasis of the traveling state information obtained by the traveling stateinformation obtaining function and search the predicted passage pointfrom the set predetermined area. Here, the predetermined area is notparticularly limited, but for example, a fan-shaped area having an angleof about 10 to 30° with respect to the current vehicle travelingdirection using the current vehicle position as the starting point canbe exemplified. Accordingly, even when the vehicle traveling route isnot set, the information of the searched predicted passage point in anarea through which the vehicle is more likely to pass and theinformation of the predicted remaining battery amount E_(bat) at thepredicted passage point are announced to the user. For that reason, thecontrol unit 110 can announce appropriate information to the userwithout any excessive guidance.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which thepoint IC, SA, or PA on the highway is specified as the predicted passagepoint when the road on which the vehicle travels is the highway isdescribed. However, as the predicted passage point in the highway, thegateway of the highway (the node between the highway and the ordinaryroad or the node between the highways) may be specified. At this time,the control unit 110 can specify the gateway of the highway as thepredicted passage point in step S403 of the flowchart illustrated inFIG. 7. When the gateway of the highway is specified as the predictedpassage point, the control unit 110 determines whether the gateway ofthe highway specified as the predicted passage point is the gatewayprovided at the end of the highway in step S407 instead of theabove-described determination.

Alternatively, in the above-described embodiment, an example in whichthe control unit 110 displays the information of the predicted passagepoint and the predicted remaining battery amount E_(bat) on the display140 so as to announce the information to the user is described. However,the method in which the control unit 110 announces the information ofthe predicted passage point and the predicted remaining battery amountE_(bat) to the user is not particularly limited. For example, a methodof announcing the information by the voice of a speaker may be used.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which thetraveling energy of the power source of the vehicle is obtained by thebattery is described. However, the traveling energy may be obtainedfrom, for example, gasoline, diesel, energy obtained by the combinationof gasoline or diesel and a battery, methanol fuel of a fuel cell, orgas fuel such as a high-pressure hydrogen gas. Accordingly, the controlunit 110 can predict (or estimate) the predicted remaining amount ofenergy on the assumption that the vehicle passes through the predictedpassage point on the basis of the remaining amount of such a travelingenergy and announce the information of the predicted remaining amount ofenergy along with the information of the predicted passage point.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, an example of a scene isillustrated in which the energy supplying facility for supplyingtraveling energy to the vehicle is the charging facility, but the energysupplying facility is not particularly limited. For example, a gasolinestation or a hydrogen station may be used.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the onboard device 100 andthe information center 200 directly communicate with each other.However, the onboard device 100 may transmit and receive the informationto and from the information center 200 by the use of cloud computing.Furthermore, the predicted passage point may be searched and thepredicted remaining battery amount E_(bat) may be predicted (orestimated) so as to announce the information of the predicted passagepoint and the predicted remaining battery amount E_(bat) to the user asdescribed above by a PC or a smart phone instead of the onboard device100.

In the above-described embodiment, the control unit 110 corresponds tothe obtaining unit, the searching unit, the predicting (or estimating)unit, the announcing unit, and the detecting unit of the presentinvention.

We claim:
 1. A system for generating information about predictedremaining amount of energy, comprising a processing circuitry configuredto: obtain traveling state information which contains current vehicleposition information; search a predicted passage point through which thevehicle is predicted to pass in a future on a basis of the travelingstate information when a vehicle traveling route is not set; predict apredicted remaining amount of energy, the predicted remaining amount ofenergy being a predicted amount of traveling energy remaining at thetime when the vehicle passes the predicted passage point; and control toprovide information about the predicted remaining amount of energy andthe predicted passage point corresponding to the predicted remainingamount of energy for a user.
 2. The system according to claim 1, whereinthe traveling state information further contains road categoryinformation containing information about categories of roads on whichthe vehicle travels, the categories containing an ordinary road and ahighway, and the processing circuitry is configured to: determinewhether a road on which the vehicle travels is the ordinary road or thehighway on the basis of the road category information; search acrossroad through which the vehicle is predicted to pass as thepredicted passage point when the road on which the vehicle travels isdetermined to be the ordinary road; and search at least one of agateway, a junction or a parking allowed space through which the vehicleis predicted to pass in the highway as the predicted passage point whenthe road on which the vehicle travels is determined to be the highway.3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the traveling stateinformation further contains current vehicle traveling directioninformation, and the processing circuitry configured to: set apredetermined region which extends from a current vehicle positiontoward a current vehicle traveling direction on the basis of the currentvehicle position information and the current vehicle traveling directioninformation; and search the predicted passage point out of thepredetermined region.
 4. The system according to claim 1, wherein theprocessing circuitry is configured to: specify an area of an ordinaryroad or a highway on the vehicle traveling route on the basis of thecurrent vehicle position information and the vehicle traveling routeinformation when the vehicle traveling route is set; subsequently searcha crossroad through which the vehicle is predicted to pass as thepredicted passage point in the area of the ordinary road on the vehicletraveling route; and search at least one of a gateway, a junction or aparking allowed space through which the vehicle is predicted to pass inthe highway as the predicted passage point in the area of the highway onthe vehicle traveling route.
 5. The system according to claim 1, furthercomprising: a display for displaying the information about the predictedremaining amount of energy and the predicted passage point to the users.6. The system according to claim 5, wherein the processing circuitry isconfigured to control the display so that the information about thepredicted passage point is displayed in a form so that the userrecognizes a position of the predicted passage point and the informationabout the predicted remaining amount of energy corresponds toinformation about the predicted passage point.
 7. The system accordingto claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to: detect anenergy supplying facility existing within a predetermined distance fromeach of the predicted passage point; and control to provide theinformation about the energy supplying facility for the user in additionto the information about the predicted remaining amount of energy andthe predicted passage point.
 8. The system according to claim 7, whereinthe processing circuitry is configured to: predict predicted passagetime of each of the predicted passage point, the predicted passage timebeing time at which the vehicle passes through the predicted passagepoint, in addition to searching the predicted passage point; detect anavailable energy supplying facility among the energy supplying facilitywhich exists within the predetermined distance from the predictedpassage point, the available energy supplying facility being a facilitywhich is available in predicted passage time at which the vehicle passesthrough the predicted passage point; and control to provide informationof the available energy supplying facility for the user.
 9. The systemaccording claim 1, wherein the vehicle traveling route can be set basedon an operation on a device of the vehicle by a user of the vehicle. 10.A method for generating information about predicted remaining amount ofenergy, the method comprising: searching a predicted passage pointthrough which a vehicle is predicted to pass in a future when a vehicletraveling route is not set; predicting a predicted remaining amount ofenergy, the predicted remaining amount of energy being a predictedamount of traveling energy remaining when the vehicle passes through thepredicted passage point; and controlling to provide information aboutthe predicted remaining amount of energy and the predicted passage pointcorresponding to the predicted remaining amount of energy for a user.11. A device for generating information about predicted remaining amountof energy, the device comprising: a processing circuitry configured to:search a predicted passage point through which a vehicle is predicted topass in a future when a vehicle traveling route is not set; predict apredicted remaining amount of energy, the predicted remaining amount ofenergy being a predicted amount of traveling energy remaining when thevehicle passes through the predicted passage point; and control toprovide information about the predicted remaining amount of energy andthe predicted passage point corresponding to the predicted remainingamount of energy for a user.